CHAPTER TWO.
"There are rules." Dexter sat Cienna down on a blood red couch. The car ride had been quiet. He seemed at a loss for conversation dispite her attempt to make the ride less boring. She had been to Florida once before, but it was when she was very young and her parents took her and her sister to DisneyWorld. Cienna never got to see Florida besides what the park had to offer. She watched the waves roll in and crash onto the shore in the distance. Growing up in Texas it already felt like someplace she could stay.
"I'm listening." She smiled as she looked around where he had taken her. His house maybe? He was tidy and the house seemed open, warm and inviting.
"I know where you are at all times. If anyone asks, your the maid." Dexter threw her a cell phone. Cienna placed her hand over it looking at him. "If I call, you answer. You can leave, but come back by seven. Every night. If you break my trust I can't promise what will happen then and we don't want that. Behave and in return , you will have full usage of anything here. TV, phone, internet and anything in the kitchen. The room down the hall to the right is yours." He placed a hundred dollar bill on the table in front of them. "Take this. My car keys are in the kitchen. Go get you some clothes and necessities. Remember. By Seven Cienna. I really hope I haven't been too subtle about what will happen if you fuck this up."
Cienna hunched her shoulders upward. She sighed as she picked up the money. "Dexter, are you sure? This is way too much." She extended the money towards him. "Plus, I have no idea how to get around in Miami. Maybe we could just go together."
"No." Dexter said. " I have things I have to do. When you leave go right. It'll lead you downtown. Be careful. Call me if you need something, otherwise. . ."
"At seven." She cut him off smiling. She picked up the cell phone glancing at the time. 4:43. She leaned in to kiss his cheek. "Thank you Dexter. I'll pick up some food while I'm out." Dexter watched her as she left through the kitchen and out the garage door. He threw himself backwards on the couch rubbing his face. How could he have just done that? Not only is she free without him assuring his secret would truly be safe in her hands, he had armed with her a vehicle and a cell phone. It was all because of his sister. Debra had done everything for him. She had burdened his terrible secret and even helped him on the rare occastion never with the actual deed though. She accepted him. Her only condition was he remove the filth, the scrubs of dirt on the window of justice. His promise to her is what put him here and of course, his own stupidy of not throughly checking every damn room of Matthew's house before plunging his knife into his heart.
Something ruins the quiet. Why is it not quiet in the second after a kill? Because someone is here. Dexter looked down as the blood began to pool underneath the plastic. Matthew Anders. He deserved to be on my table. He turned and followed the banging noise. Thud thud thud. Upstairs. He wandered silently up the staircase digging out the knife he kept in his apron in case of emergenies such as this. Thud thud thud. Behind that door.
Dexter eased the door open examining the room. Whatever is in here heard him because the noise completly stopped. Thats when he heard the whimpering breathing in the back corner. A body. A live one. He could see her turning her head around to see who was there. A bright red stained rag covered her eyes. He made his way to her.
"I'm not here to hurt you." Dexter said calmly. She froze at the sound of his voice. She looked in the direction in came from. She had cuts, deep ones, ones still bleeding. She was a shade of purple in places that was nearing black. She struggled to get loose. "Can you tell me your name?"
She turned her head the other direction. Dexter sighed. "I already said I'm not here to hurt you. I just want to know your name."
"So if I tell you my name, you'll let me loose?" Her voice was shakey and weak. Dexter fumbled around his thoughts. He couldn't let her loose. Not until he had erased his scene downstairs. Then he could play the innocent concerned citizen. He had gotten really good at this role.
"Yes. I'm not the one who has you held here. But first, Im going to go get you food, water, and medicine. I'll be back soon. Don't worry, I'll be quick." He started to head towards the door.
"Cienna. My name is Cienna Rofner." Dexter froze for a minute then shut the door behind him. He leaned against it and sighed. This night just got so much more complicated. Dexter ran down the stairs and picked up the saw he had brought. He moved swiftly around Matthew, begining his process of the clean up.
Dexter removed all the plastic from the walls and quickly began throwing the pieces of Matthew into the trash bags. Thats when he saw her. Cienna standing at the bottom of the staircase, her eyes wide in terror. She started rushing as fast as her injured body would take her to the nearest exit until Dexter grabbed her arm pulling her back into him. She screamed fighting for her freedom until he pressed the needle into her neck. Dexter watched her continue to struggle while the animal tranquilizer began to take her under. He carried her back upstairs and tied her down by her ankles again wondering how she managed to get loose in the first place. The drug will have her out for several hours. Three at the least. He turned to go finish what he had started.
Dexter still felt so accomplished in the fact he had killed Matthew. Even if it put him in this situation, he wouldn't have changed a thing. Stress. So much stress. It made him feel the urge raising again. It was time to find his next target. He had known for a few days now who was next on his kill list. A man named Jacob Sparks. Jacob has been smuggling girls into the country and raping and abusing them, disposing of their remains in the ocean. Three girls. Judy Base, Hannah Gallent, and most recently Victoria Charger. All tall, thin, pretty blondes. Dexter began searching the file on the dead girls looking for something to be looking for when he enters Jacobs home. "All three beaten, raped then strangled. All found floating in the ocean all without any shoes or jewelry that they were last seen with." Dexter smiled. "Well you wanted the bodies to be found otherwise you would've taken the time to take them out to stronger current. Maybe you took tokens to remember your ladies by."
Dexter set down the file and grabbed his laptop and began his online search of Jacob Sparks life. He had to have proof. Deb had always helped him if he needed it, once she learned what he was of course. How he craved someone to speak with about him. All of him. He couldn't just start this conversation with anyone. Maybe Cienna was his someone. He seemed to care for her deeper than the only love he's ever felt to his sister. Dexter thought he was incapable of love. He was raised with Debra. She had been there his entire life anytime he turned around. Once she learned his secret, she tried to keep him under her watch. 24/7. It drove him mad. Deb calling every 5 minutes on the off chance that she wasn't with him. It had been sweet and endearing for Debra to try and become his 'serial killer talk down'. After about a week or so, I blew up on her. Nothing extreme, but I did promise her that if she didn't back off bad things were going to happen. She understood. After that, she continued to help me on occasion with the clean up and eventually my tainted soul wore down her innocent one and she shot a cop for me. It took her a long time to recover. It seemed just as soon as she did, Matthew came along. Dexter sighed feeling anger rise up in him until his computer made a beeping noise. His search had paid off. The two most recent girls both were last seen on a Saturday at Club Amity. This didn't shock Dexter. He was never surprised at how these amateurs present themselves. Always it seemed he was going to Club Amity to watch it's patrons drink like there's no tomorrow. Dexter wanted so bad for it to be tonight. It was a Friday night but but no. He still lacked the physical evidence he would need. He would have to settle the urge cause tomorrow night seemed so distant. He glanced at the watch on his wrist. It read 6:04.
Cienna heard the door close. She opened her eyes and looked up to see a tall man with reddish hair. He looked like he was in late 20's but still a very stong able man. He extended his hand with a bag in it. He gestured for her to take it and she did. She slowly opened the bag and looked inside to see a bottle of Dr. Pepper and a cheeseburger and fries. He held his hands up in the air and she noticed one hand held a smaller bag. He knelt down beside the bed still sure not to move his hands.
"Once again Cienna, I'm not here to hurt you. Eat. I'm just going to tend to those cuts." He dumped the bag onto the bed next to her and she examined the items. Nothing that didn't make sense. She looked at him then turned her attention to the food. She wasn't sure how long she'd even been here. At least a week or so she thought. She had ate once a few days prior to now, but it wasn't a large meal. Dexter smiled as she tore into the cheeseburger and began opening tubes of ointments and getting q-tips. She watched his gloved hands dab on the cuts on her calves. The wounds on her outer and back thigh brought on a scorching burn she could only describe as hell when Dexter applied the medicine. He sighed at all her squirming.
"The burn kills infection. I'm sorry these are deeply infected. It isn't going to feel good at all, but I'm going to need you to be as still as possible. Can you do that Cienna?" He waited for the nod of her head and her body to tensen and brace itself. Dexter quickly wiped at the wounds making sure to get the medicine in deep. She cried out then dug her face into the side of the pillow.
By the time Dexter was done, she had tears flowing down her face. Most of the cuts were days old and deep with no treatment. She looked worn down and broken. Maybe there was something he could say to her. He could scare her, but after he helped her would she believe his threat? She had seen what he had done. Cienna would be stupid to not be scared of him.
"I can't let you go. You understand right? Know I'm here to help you," He slowly placed his hand on hers. "Cienna, can you tell me where your from?"
"Odessa, Texas. Where am I now?"
"Miami, Florida."
"Holy shit." Cienna held her head up with her hand sighing. "The last thing I remember was being at a club for my sister's birthday. She liked that kind of thing." She slumped over her knees. Looking around the room she's been in for a week now she realizes this is the first time she's actually seen anything. There was a dresser across the room next to three other beds. How many people did he have up here? I was never anything special to him. Just a toy, just another dot on his timeline. Just a mere number to him.
"I'm sorry. Sleep. You could use it. I'll come see you tomorrow. Goodnight Cienna." Dexter said jamming another needle in her neck. This was a more concentrated blend. She'd be out for a day, maybe two. Her tired hazel eyes continued to scan the room until they shut. Dexter set up a small IV unit and injected it into her arm. He hung the bag of fluids up on the dresser that was near her bed. He turned to leave making sure everything was locked up.